I'm Going To Kill Him Tonight
by Rizzy151617
Summary: Beckett's older brother Damon pays her a visit. What is he up to? Will Beckett and Castle be safe?
1. Chapter 1

Katherine Beckett was lying on her couch after a long day. It had been a tough case and she was glad it was over. Usually she would have gone to the Old Haunt with the boys for a drink, but not tonight. She kept seeing the dead bodies of the women in front of her. Those weren't the kind of bodies she usually saw. No gunshot, no stabbing, not even poison. It seemed like the work of a wild animal. After hours of interrogation they still had no clue. Lanie had been able to tell them, the animal wounds were probably caused post-mortem but because of the wounds Lanie couldn't find the actual cause of death. Any possible trace of evidence had become useless, thanks to the animals. It had all seemed hopeless. It had been even worse to tell the families of the victims. One of the victims was a mother of an eighteen-year-old girl. Kate could hardly hold it together in front of the daughter and her father. It reminded her too much of her own mother and the dark period that followed after her murder.

She had been grateful for Castle's presence. He might be a pain in the ass sometimes but he was always there when she needed him. No questions asked. It was one of the things she loved so much about him. Another thing she loved about him was his humour and his jokes. They could make her smile even in the grimmest moments. God, she wished he was here with her. Not that she would ever admit that to him, of course. But still, if he were here, she would feel better. He would wipe away the tears that were glistening on her cheeks and he would have known how to take her mind of this case. He would have probably brought some silly movie with him they would pretend to watch while really she would snuggle up to him and try to get some well deserved sleep. Another thing she really appreciated about Castle: he didn't push her and, more importantly, he made her feel safe. Something she hadn't felt in a really long time. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Kate toyed with the idea of not answering but finally decided against it. After all, it could be Castle or her father.

With a sigh, she got up from the couch and wiped the traces of mascara from her face, trying to hide the proof of her tears. She put a fake smile on her face and opened the door. When she saw who was standing at her doorstep she couldn't believe it. She tried to hide her surprise and kept her smile plastered on her face but her blood was racing through her veins. What was he doing here? He had made it perfectly clear in the past that he didn't want anything to do with her or her father. Now, after all these years, he finally decided to show? Her anger boiled up inside of her. If he was here to make peace with her he was in for a nasty surprise. No way in hell would she just forgive him for bailing out on them. She was about to tell him all of that and then some but recollected herself in time. She couldn't forget who she was talking to. He had always had something dangerous about him and pissing him off was probably not the best idea. So instead she smiled:

'Hey, Damon.'

When she looked at him she saw his trademark smile. He hadn't changed at all.

'Hello, Katherine.' He smirked.

She knew immediately he was up to no good. She could feel it. Much to her annoyance, Damon just entered her house without waiting for an invitation. Kate sighed and followed him inside. He was already walking around her apartment, rummaging through her stuff and being his annoying self. Kate leaned against the counter, waiting for him to say something.

'Your hair is different.' She heard him say. When she looked up she saw him leaning against one of her bookshelves. He smiled: 'I like it!'

Despite herself Kate couldn't help but smile. It was the effect Damon had on people. Even in his most annoying moments, you couldn't resist his charm. Still, she was curious to know what he was up to now. He wouldn't just come by to say hello, would he? He had to know he wasn't welcome here anymore. But Kate had to admit she was happy to see him, despite everything she still missed him so much. The rational part inside of her told her this was just another evil trick he played on her, but a tiny little part of her kept hoping that maybe he had changed. Maybe he wanted to apologize and maybe things could go back the things they were before? That was impossible, of course. Nothing could ever bring her mother back, but maybe they could be a family again. They could try, right? She tried to stay rational but she couldn't help the hopeful voice when she asked him:

'What do you want?'

Damon looked and her and stayed silent for a moment. Finally he said: 'That's for me a know and for you to…dot dot dot.'

Just like that. All her hope was gone. If he didn't want to tell her his plan, it was definitely a bad one. Either it was illegal, which meant she had to arrest him if she knew, or it was immoral and she would have to try to talk him out of it. Kate's face fell as she struggled to so much as look at him. Why couldn't he just be normal for once?

'I'm surprised you're still alive. With all the bad guys around the city, you should have been long dead by now.'

'Yeah well, I guess I've been lucky. ' She told him dryly.

'Speaking of getting lucky, what about Richard Castle?''

Stunned, Kate shook her head. The guy had just arrived and already he couldn't stay out of her personal life.

'There's nothing going on between Castle and me. He's just shadowing me for his books.'

'Sure, whatever you say Katherine.' He winked. 'Isn't it, like, dangerous or something to let someone shadow you out there in the big bad world?'

She rolled her eyes at his fake concern. 'He can handle himself in the field. Nothing bad has ever happened to him.'

'Yet…' Damon added happily.

Kate eyed him suspiciously. She knew that voice. Was he seriously threatening Castle? Damon kept on staring at her waiting for a response but she decided to let it go and not give him the satisfaction of getting her all freaked out. When she didn't answer, Damon sighed.

'Well, I've got to go. I need to do some things, meet some new people. You know same old, same old.' He smirked and began walking backwards to the door.

Kate rolled his eyes at him. It probably meant he was going to get drunk and hook up with some girl. Maybe even two girls. Not that it bothered her, of course. Or so she told herself. It was his life and he made it perfectly clear he didn't want anything to do with her or her father anymore. Why should she even bother to care? Yet, despite all her best efforts not to, she did.

She knew he was hurting. He was trying so hard to hide it but she saw it. It had always been like that with Damon. Even when they were little he was always trying to be the tough guy, not showing his emotions, but deep down he was just a little boy. When she was younger, she didn't mind. She knew he did it to shield her from his pain but she could always see right through this façade. Only now it was beginning to piss her off. Though she could still see the truth behind his nonchalance, the understanding they had when they were young was gone. They both had walls that couldn't be torn apart by the other. She knew her barriers were beginning to come down, thanks to Castle, and she could only hope Damon would find someone to do the same thing for him. He deserved to be happy again after all these years. Damon's voice brought her back from her thoughts.

'It was great seeing you again, little sister.' With a smile, he disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! I just wanted to thank all of you who are reading this story. It's my first fanfiction, so I'm sort of nervous but it's really great knowing you're reading this story and hopefully enjoying it. Anyway, reviews are very welcome. I'd love to hear your opinion and if anyone has some advice for me, please let me know!**

'Yes Alexis, I'll be fine. There's food in the fridge and enough ice cream to keep me happy. Yes, yes, I promise I won't do any experiments without your supervision. Don't worry; just enjoy yourself okay? I love you! Bye sweetie.'

Castle smiled as he put his phone on the table. Alexis was always so caring and sweet. Always worrying about him. She was out of town for a week with her friends, it had taken him some time to convince her to leave her schoolwork behind, but in the end she had agreed and was having a great time.

Castle walked to the kitchen to get himself some coffee. The apartment was disturbingly quiet; between Alexis being gone and his mother's trip with her acting class he had the house to himself for one whole week. He took a sip from his coffee and sighed as he realised his newfound privacy probably meant he should get some writing done, but he just wasn't in the right mood. Maybe it was the last case they had. He had felt sorry for Beckett - he could see how much it had hurt her to bring the family the awful news. He wished he could've done more for her than just try to lighten her mood with his silly jokes. Maybe he should call her or just go over to her apartment and bring some movies and some Chinese food. Writing could wait, he decided. He was about to get his jacket when he heard a knock on the door. His brow furrowed with confusion. He wasn't expecting anyone. Maybe Beckett had the same idea and had decided to come over? After all, their minds did work in sync most of the time. But she probably would've called instead of just coming over; she hated to intrude upon his quality time with Alexis and with this last case he hadn't had the time to tell her about Alexis' week off. It was probably a crazy fan who had managed to get through the lobby and past Castle's trusted doorman to his apartment. It wouldn't be the first time. With a sigh he walked to the door - he could manage one fan, right? He just had to sign something and then he could go to Beckett. Still deep in thought, Castle opened the door.

And just kept staring. This was not some crazy fan. At least he hoped not. Castle was looking at a young and, if he had to be honest, quite handsome guy. His hair was black and a little messed up. He was wearing a leather jacket and Castle realised he was completely dressed in black. The smile on the guys face was more of smirk than an honest smile.

'Can I help you?'

Castle managed to utter. This was not what he expected. The guys didn't answer but just entered his house.

'Excuse me, did I host a poker night and forgot about it? I'm sorry it happened before but I just have a very chaotic mind, I guess it comes with the writer job.'

The man in didn't answer and just looked around in Castle's apartment. After a while he whistled.

'Nice place' He smiled. 'I could definitely get used to this.'

Castles confusion couldn't get worse than it was at this moment. Who was this guy? Still a little bit in shock, he finally closed the door and walked up to the man.

'Excuse me, but what are you doing here?' When the man didn't respond, Castle adopted his best intimidating voice. 'This is my house and I think it's time for you to leave.'

The guy just looked at him with a hint of a smile. Castle fidgeted with his hands and tried to look tougher than he felt, which was kind of hard because, seriously, the guy was pretty creepy.

'Look, buddy, I'm serious. Why don't you just leave and then we can all have a nice evening without any trouble?'

The guy let himself fall on the couch. It looked like he belonged there, like he had lived in the house for years. He had one arm underneath his head and was looking at Castle.

'Who says I don't want any trouble?' He smirked once again, but this time it was threatening.

'That's it, I'm not asking you again. Leave or I will have to call the police.'

The guy laughed out loud and got up. He walked very relaxed over to the kitchen and began rummaging through the cupboards. Castle slowly made his way over to the table where he had put his phone after his conversation with Alexis.

'I wouldn't do that if I were you.'

Castle yanked his hand away. This was seriously eerie; the guy hadn't even moved and still had his back towards Castle. How did he do that?

The guy triumphantly pulled a wineglass out of one of the cupboards.

'Want some?'

This was outrageous. The guy acted like he owned the place, and now he was offering Castle some of his own wine? This had to end.

'No thank you.' He answered, his anger building up. Once again he tried to get a hold of his phone on the table. Meanwhile the guy had found Castle's wine stash and was opening a bottle of wine from a very good year. Castle groaned. That wine had cost him a fortune. He waited till the guy had his back to him again and then tried to take the phone.

'What did I tell you? Don't do it.' The guy said in a singing voice. Then he turned around with a filled wine glass. 'I knew you were stubborn but can't you listen just one time?'

Castle's brow furrowed at the statement. 'What do you mean: "I knew you were stubborn"? Who are you? How do you know me?'

The guy shook his head. 'You know, for a writer you're pretty stupid. You're Richard Castle, the crime novelist. You're famous Rick, you're picture is in every bookshop and every newspaper, ergo….'

Castle decided to ignore the fact that the guy had just called him Rick like they were old friends or something.

'You know what I mean. What do you mean you knew I was stubborn? I've never seen you before and yet you claim to know things about me that are not just in newspapers.' The guy ignored Castle and simply continued to sip on his wine. 'Come on, if you're planning on staying you might as well tell me something'

The guy held up his glass and winked. 'You're right. I do know you from more than just newspapers. As a matter of fact, I know quite a lot about you. Your daughter for example – Alexis, is it? Ooh, talk about hot.'

'That's it.' Castle snapped. This guy was crossing the line. Barging into his house and drinking his pricey wine was one thing, but talking about his daughter in that way was completely something else! 'Get out now!''

The guy put his glass down on the table and walked away. 'Okay whatever you say.' He put his hands in the air. 'I just came here to warn you but, hey, it's your funeral.'

Castle followed him to the door. 'Wait, wait, wait, what do you mean?

The guy slowly turned around again with a slow smile. 'Well I'm just saying, shadowing detective Beckett might get a little dangerous. I would just quit if I were you. Oh wait, you can't. You need her for your little books, don't you?'

Castle frowned. 'Yes, following her around helps me with my inspiration.'

'Oh is that what you call it. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.' The guy whispered over-dramatically, as if he and Castle were in on a scandalous secret.

'There is nothing going on between Detective Beckett and me. We're just friends.'

'Right...' The guy stretched the word out. 'Well then it won't be a problem to stop following her like a lost puppy, will it?'

He opened the door and made his way out of the house. Just before he closed the door he peaked his head back in.

'If Alexis gets lonely, tell her to call me.' He winked and closed the door before Castle could shut it in his pretty face.

**So, what did you guys think? I need your opinion, do you think Beckett should tell Castle who Damon really is or do you think he needs to figure it out by himself?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone, I'm sorry for uploading so late. I got caught up with school and life in general. But anyway, here it is. I hope you like it! Please tell me what you think; I could really use the feedback. Thanks so much for reading this story! **

As soon as the door was closed, Castle walked over to his phone. He was already dialling 911 when he suddenly stopped. He was such an idiot! He was friends with three detectives for heaven's sake! There was no need to make a fool out of himself by calling 911. Castle rushed out of his apartment, waited just long enough to lock his door, and waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive. When it finally did, he walked in quickly and his foot anxiously began to tap against the floor. Once he arrived downstairs, he walked over to his doorman with a relieved smile on his face.

'James, you have no idea how happy I am to see you!'

The old man looked up at him. 'It is a pleasure Mr. Castle! What can I do for you?'

Castle leaned against the counter. 'You wouldn't happen to have seen a young, handsome guy, all dressed in black, pass by would you?'

James rubbed his chin. 'I don't think so. He must have passed by while I was getting my coffee. I apologize, Mr. Castle. Did the boy give you any trouble?'

'No, not at all!' Castle tried to reassure him. James had been his doorman for quite some years now and Castle had grown fond of him. 'I was just wondering; can I see the security footage? I'm just curious.'

James smiled at the writer. He was glad he could do something to help the guy. He knew about the writer's reputation. He was supposed to be this big bad boy, player, millionaire, but to him he had always been kind and polite. James turned over to the computer and began to search through the footage.

'That's him! That's the guy!' Castle pointed at the screen. The guy had looked straight into the camera. 'Got you, son of a bitch,' Castle murmured while searching through his phone contacts. With a smile at James, he dialled a number.

After a few seconds the phone was answered. 'Ryan.'

'Hi, this is Castle. I need a favour.'

'What do you want Castle?' Before Castle could answer, he could hear some noises at the other side. 'Yo, you know this favour is going to cost you something, right?' Castle sighed at the sound of Esposito's voice. 'Fine, name it.' He could hear Esposito talking in the background. 'We want the Ferrari for two weeks each. Oh, and you're gonna have to introduce me to that hot blonde reporter. Her name is Tess, right?' Castle hesitated for a moment. Losing his Ferrari for four weeks was a long time. And he hadn't talked to Tess for a long time. 'Fine, but then you need to do this for me tonight.'

'Deal. So what do you want, Castle?' Castle could hear the smugness in Esposito's voice. 'I'm sending you some footage right now. Could you find out who the guy is?'

'Are you kidding me? Of course we can do that! Call you later bro.'

'Thank you!' With a smile, Castle hung up. Now that was covered, he could finally go to Beckett. He quickly shook James' hand. 'Thanks for your time. Don't worry about the guy, I got this.'

He was already halfway down the hall before a confused James could answer: 'I'm glad I could help you. What was this all about?'

'I have no idea, but I'll know more in a few hours!' And with those words, Castle left the building. Now that the whole thing with the strange guy was settled, he could finally go to Beckett. The boys would find out who the mysterious guy was and he could have a movie night with Beckett without having to worry about the guy. Smiling, he crossed the street. It was all going to be okay.

Kate was still standing in the middle of the room long after her brother had left her house. Finally she managed to reach the couch. She should probably call her dad to let him know Damon was in town, but she couldn't bring herself to do that yet. She didn't want to admit it, but Damon's appearance had left her shaken. She hadn't seen him in a long time and now he was acting all mysterious. It didn't even seem like he had missed her at all. Not even a little bit. Meanwhile she had missed him every single day. Yes, of course she was mad at him. Even after all this time. But he was her brother and he might have walked out of their lives after her mom's death, but even now she would still do anything if it meant getting him back.

She had been keeping track of him of course. She knew he had ironically changed his name into Damon Salvatore. Like he was any closer to salvation than thirteen years ago. Hell, neither was her father, nor was she. She had Castle of course - he had saved her in a way. But she knew it would take a lot longer for all of them to truly heal and accept the scars that had been left in their hearts.

She had lost track of him a few years ago. Well, she wasn't exactly looking for him, to be honest. She realized she hadn't really looked for him since Castle had come into her life. Kate felt a sudden pang of guilt. He was her little brother, after all. She should have kept an eye on him. But then again _he_ had bailed out on _her_ all those years ago. _He_ had left her with a drunken father and a broken heart. She had got her father and herself back on track all by herself. In all this time he had never checked to see how she was doing. There was no need for her to feel guilty. Castle had brought the light back into her life, she couldn't let Damon bring her back to the darkness that was still somewhere inside of her. She should let him go, it was the best thing to do for both of them. Besides, she was still angry with him.

When she heard a knock on the door, she looked at the clock. She had been sitting there for hours! Kate got up quickly and walked to the door. It was probably Damon again, trying to annoy the crap out of her. Well, she would tell him exactly what she thought of him!

Castle was standing in front of Beckett's door holding a bag Chinese food in one hand and a lot of movies in the other. He struggled to hold on to these items and knock on the door at the same time.

It didn't take long for Beckett to answer. 'What do you wa…. Oh, hi Castle.' She looked surprised, like she had been expecting someone else. Castle decided to let it go and entered her house without waiting for an invitation.

'I've brought Chinese food and some movies. We're going to have a great evening Detective Beckett! What would you like to see? I've got my favourite British spy, 'The Avengers', given your secret love for superheroes, some thrillers, like 'The Killer', 'Avatar' and, oh I almost forgot, all the Star Wars movies.'

Beckett slowly followed Castle to the couch. 'Erm…wow Castle, you know it's impossible to watch all of them, right?'

'I know, it's just that I didn't know what kind of mood you were in so I decided to bring all kinds of things.'

Beckett smiled. 'Thank you Castle. That's really sweet.' She took the Chinese food from him and put it on the table. 'Do you want some wine?'

'Yes, please. So what will it be? Are we going to fight battles in outer space or are we staying close to home?'

Beckett returned with one glass in each hand. 'How about a combination? A bad guy from outer space fighting in our world?'

Castle smiled. 'The Avengers! An excellent choice, detective.' He put the movie in the DVD-player and settled himself on the couch with his glass of wine and some food. 'Are you ready for an epic battle between all the forces of the earth? Are you ready for the greatest war the world has ever known, for the invasion of the evil god Loki and more?'

Beckett rolled her eyes and pushed the play button, but she secretly smiled and took some food. Soon they were both engrossed in the movie.

While they were watching how Loki's evil plans were unfolding, Beckett snuggled up to Castle. When the credits were rolling, she had her head on his chest and Castle's arm was around her shoulder. Yawning, Beckett stopped the movie. 'You want more wine?' She got up and took the glasses to the kitchen.

'Yes, please. Cheers to the Avengers and Loki's defeat!'

'Why are you so against Loki?'

'Well, aren't you? He's trying to take over the world and rule everyone. He's the bad guy, isn't it obvious?'

Beckett got back with the glasses of wine. She handed him one glass and sat down on the couch. 'Yeah, I know. But he's hurt; he just found out he's adopted and he just wants to prove himself to his adoptive family. He just wants to be loved. That counts for something right?'

'Maybe, but still it doesn't mean he's allowed to take over the whole world!'

Castle's phone rang before Beckett could answer.

'Castle.' Castle answered the phone and walked over to the kitchen for some privacy. If it was the boys with information, he didn't want Beckett worrying about his unexpected visitor from earlier.

'Yo, where are you?' He heard Esposito's voice through the phone.

'I'm at Beckett's. Why?'

'Can she hear you?'

'No, what's going on?'

'All right, listen bro. We looked into this mystery guy like you asked. His name is Damon Salvatore. We checked his background but we could only find some things from three years back till now. It's like the guy just appeared out of the middle of nowhere.'

'Fake ID?'

'Yeah, you got that one right. So I did a little bit of digging. The name Damon is usually used by those creepy vampire fan-guys, you know? So it was a long shot, but I thought what the hell, I might as well try, right? It took some time but it turns out he has just changed his last name. We found a car ticket from ten years back.'

'Nice work!'

'Yeah, but that's not all.' Esposito hesitated. 'His real name is Damon Beckett.'

Castle was silent for a while, processing the information. 'What?' He stammered. 'There must be a mistake. Surely, there must be more people with that last name.'

'That's what I thought. Which is why I looked at his birth certificate. I'm sorry bro, but your mystery guy? He's Beckett's brother.'


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. Sorry for the late update, I'll try to update faster but I'm really busy so I can't make any promises. Thank you for reading this story. It means a lot to me. If you have any advice for me; feel free to leave me a comment. Enjoy!**

Kate was still sitting on the couch while Castle was answering his phone. She was curious who would be calling at this hour but she decided not to pry and tried not to listen to what Castle was saying. She put on some music and flipped through a magazine. After some time she realized Castle wasn't talking anymore. Questioningly, she looked up at him. His expression was unreadable.

'Yes, I'm still here. Thank you for your time. I have to go now.' He hung up and slowly walked over to the couch.

Kate sat up straight, worry immediately taking over. 'Castle, what's going on?' Is it Alexis or your mother?'

'No, they're fine.' He reassured. Then he continued: 'It's not my family I'm worried about.'

Kate had a terrible feeling about all of this. Surely he hadn't found out about Damon?

'It's yours I'm worried about, Kate. Before I came over, some guy had barged into my apartment. At first I thought he had the wrong address but he knew a lot about me. More than you can find online. Then he starts making comments about my daughter and threatens me.' Castle was pacing in front of the couch now, his voice was getting louder with each sentence. 'So I'm a bit freaked out. I decide to call Esposito to do a little background check on the guy. He just called me with the results. He's your brother Kate. And you didn't mention him once. Not once, all this time? Am I not worth trusting, Kate? Is that it? I have been here for you for a very long time now. I had the feeling we were good friends. I thought we could trust each other. And now suddenly I hear that you have a brother? Why didn't you tell me?'

Kate trembled while she was listening to him. He was right, of course he was. She should have told him a long time ago. But what could she have said? 'Hey Castle, just so you know, I have a brother and he is kind of weird and unreliable, oh and on his bad days he can be very dangerous'? Yeah, that would have worked out perfectly.

Besides, she didn't like to think about her brother. Damon was part of her past. It was bad enough to think back and remember what happened to her mother but thinking about Damon as well was just too much for her to handle. She noticed the tears that were starting to roll down her cheeks. Angrily, she wiped them away and did what she always did when she felt hurt; she got defensive. She knew Castle was right and she knew it was unfair to him, but it had been her automatic response for a long time. So she got up and started to raise her voice.

'Just because you came barging into my life doesn't mean you have to know about everything in it, Castle! Yes, I happen to have a brother but we haven't talked since my mom died. And just so you know, you might be shadowing me for you little books but that doesn't mean I can't have a private life! I'm sorry if I'm not sharing every detail of my life with some rich, immature, playboy, who chose me as his muse and decided to make my life harder! No, I did not tell you that I had a brother. But you know what? You don't need to know because it's my life! Mine!'

The moment the words left her mouth, she wished she could take them back. They were unfair; Castle did not deserve this! But she couldn't bring herself to say the words. Even if she would have the courage to do it, she would never be able to find the right words. After all, he was the writer. She was just a cop. So instead she waited. Waited for him to tell her that it was over, that she messed up.

But instead she felt his hands on her shoulders. Gently trying to turn her around. Reluctantly, she did but kept her eyes closed. 'Kate, please. Open your eyes.' Castle asked softly. Kate opened her eyes but kept staring at the ground. Castle put his hand under her chin and gently tilted it up, trying to get her to meet his eyes. When she did, she saw a combination of anger and hurt but mostly she saw gentleness and understanding and there was also something she couldn't quite recognize. 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reacted the way I did.' He whispered. 'I trust you and if you don't want to talk about him then I'm sure you have a good reason not to. I was surprised and upset because he insulted Alexis but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You don't have to talk about him if you don't want to.' Kate shook her head. His words filled her with shame. He had no reason to be sorry and still here he was; apologizing to her even after she had told him to go to hell. She didn't deserve him and she was fully aware of that.

'It's not you who should be apologizing Castle. You have every right to be angry with me. It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that well, I guess my brother is a part of my life I don't really want to talk about.' She couldn't continue, afraid that if she did, she'd break down.

Luckily, Castle just waited patiently. She took a deep breath and sat down on the couch. She started fiddling with the ring around her neck. 'I wanted to tell you, you know. When I told you about the life I had saved and the life I had lost, but I guess I just didn't know at the time what had exactly happened to the third life. To be honest, I still don't.' She finished in a whisper. Castle crouched on his knees in front of the couch and took hold of her hands. Kate looked at their intertwined hands. The sight gave her the courage to continue her story.

'The day my mom died, we were supposed to have dinner together.' Castle nodded, he had heard that part before. 'My brother had a job interview so he would join us afterwards. We were all expecting him to get the job so the dinner was actually meant as a celebration. While we were waiting for my mom, I got a call from my brother. He told me it would take a little it longer than expected but he thought he had good chance to get the job. I was so happy for him but of course, when Detective Raglin was waiting for us at home, I completely forgot about my brother for the moment. When he called us, he was so excited. God, Castle, you should have heard him. He was so happy and proud! My father was breaking down so I had no choice but to tell my brother the news myself. He asked me where it had happened. All the enthusiasm had disappeared and his voice was cold and dead. When I gave him the address, he thanked me and that's the last thing I have ever heard from him.'

'Until now.'

'Until now.' Kate confirmed.

Castle squeezed her hands. 'I can't believe how strong you have been! There are not many people who could have done what you have managed to pull off: saving your father and getting your lives back on track after losing your mother and your brother at the same day. You truly are extraordinary.'

Kate smiled at that and squeezed his hands back. 'Thanks, Castle. And thank you for listening to me and not walking away, even when I told you to. I'm glad you have barged into my life. Yes, sometimes you make my life harder when you're acting like a nine year old on a sugar rush, but you also make my life lighter. You manage to bring a smile on my face. Thank you for being there even though I'm pushing you away.' She was surprised as the words left her mouth. She couldn't believe she just said that. It was not like her to open up like that so easily!

Castle let go of her hands with one last squeeze. He smiled. 'Always.' Kate returned his smile. She realised this was one of the few moments they were having a moment without Esposito or Ryan or someone else interrupting them. She didn't want to ruin the moment but she knew she had to.

'Castle, what did Damon say exactly?'

Castle's expression darkened. 'He said I should stop shadowing you and he was talking about how hot Alexis is. He said that Alexis should call him if she got lonely.' Castle gritted his teeth at the thought.

Kate groaned and put her head in her hands. 'I'm sorry Castle. That's what he does; he knows exactly what to say to drive you crazy. Don't worry; he will not come after her. He would never do that.' Castle nodded but Kate could see he wasn't entirely convinced and to be honest, neither was she. Damon had always been very impulsive and she had no idea what he was capable of right now. She could only hope she was right about him.

Castle's phone buzzed. He grinned when he saw the text message. He turned it so Kate could read it as well. It was from Esposito: _'Yo, everything okay? Both still alive?' _Kate shook her head. It was adorable to see how Esposito and Ryan were worried about them. She knew she had a lot of explaining to do to them as well.

'What are we going to do about Damon?' asked Castle while he texted Espo back.

Kate shrugged. 'I don't know. I think we should just ignore him; he'll grow tired eventually.'

Castle lowered his phone. 'Are you crazy? I'm not just going to let him walk around after what he said about Alexis!'

'What do you want to do about it Castle? I can't just arrest him! He hasn't actually done anything so on what grounds can I possibly keep him behind bars?'

Castle raised his hands in surrender. 'I wasn't talking about arresting the guy!'

Kate gave him a pointed look.

'Okay, maybe I was. But you could talk to him right? Can't you just ask him to leave or at least to stay out of my way and away from my daughter?'

'I don't think he'll listen to me Castle. He's not just some guy who will back down when you tell him to. If I go talk to him, he will do the exact opposite. We should just leave him alone.' Castle frowned. She could see he did not agree with her. She decided to let it go for the moment. 'I should probably go to the precinct and tell Ryan and Espo about Damon. They're probably dying to hear more.' Castle nodded absently. 'Are you coming or what?' she asked playfully.

'I think I'll pass. It's been a long day, I'm going home and get some sleep okay?'

Kate nodded, disappointed. She thought they were okay again and now he suddenly wanted to go home. Maybe he was tired, after all it had indeed been a long day. 'Okay, fine. So I'll see you tomorrow?'

Castle nodded and opened her door. 'Until tomorrow.' Kate smiled and closed the door after him. He was right, it did sound more hopeful than just goodnight.

She took her coat and went to the precinct. She knew she had to tell the boys but she didn't really want to. She had been used to keeping that part of her life to herself, it was difficult to change now. She sighed and grabbed her phone; if she was going to do this, she might as well do it right.

Lanie answered after the first ring. 'Hey girl, what's going on?'

'Hey Lanie. I need to tell you something. Can you come to the precinct?'

'Is everything okay? You sound different.'

Kate smiled. Lanie was such a good friend, always looking out for her. 'Yeah I'm fine. Just tired. I figured it would be easier to tell you and the boys at the same time.'

'I understand sweetie. Don't worry, I'll be there soon!" Kate hung up and prepared herself for the talk she was going to have with her friends.


End file.
